Difference between revisions of "Electric Guitar"

Revision as of 09:07, 4 August 2016

This information is applicable to the T1 ToneMatch® audio engine

Electric Guitar Processors and the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine

When you use any Preset in the Electric Guitar category the zEQ settings for Low, Mid, High are optimized for Electric Guitar. I usually leave the zEQ settings flat and do the tone shaping in the guitar processor. Then when I get to the gig, if I need to tweak the sound to suit the room I'll do that with the zEQ.

Current Role

June 2020 — enjoying life playing music, and anxious to start gigging with the L1 Pro32 with Sub1

Recent History

June 2016 — June 2020 Community Manager for the Bose^® Pro Portable PA Community

Mid-2016 I took on the role of Community Manager for the Bose^® Pro Portable PA Community. In 2017 my Community Manager role expanded to encompass the Bose Pro Audio Community and Bose Community with a special focus on wireless headphones and Hearphones the conversation enhancing headphones

Background

This is ST from the Bose^® Pro Portable PA Community.

I got my first L1 in June 2004 and have been using the Bose^® Personalized Amplification System™ family of products in my solo, unplugged duo, and four-to-occasionally-seven piece eclectic band ever since.
In those early days I had no formal relationship with Bose Corporation but in my early dealings with the Bose Live Music Technology Group I found them to be excellent people with a profound sense of the importance of live music. I felt compelled to help.
You may know me from my posts on the Bose^® Pro Portable PA Community but you might be wondering about this wiki. If so, see Why A Wiki
The Sketcher — I am the author of this online tool for visualizing stage layouts.

You can read a little background about me in my blog.

I was among the first group of individuals honoured by Bose as a Live Music Pioneer. ^[1]

My avatar/icon up to August 22, 2007 and my August 2009

More avatar/icons 2010

Other Sites

Gear

We have enough L1 Cylindrical Radiator^® loudspeakers to go 1:1 (one per player).

Duo

This is how we set our stage as a Duo

L1 Pro

L1 Model II

This has worked extremely well for us, and when there are guest artists it is simple to get them plugged in and going.

You can see the earlier version of this page at Stage Layouts / ST Duo Classic / Model I

Four Piece Band

L1® Setup

Four L1 Pro systems or L1 Model II systems (could also be L1 Model 1S)

F1 Setup

In this setup I run two F1 Stacks (F1 Model 812 with F1 Subwoofer) for the Front of House system and two L1 Compacts as monitors at the back of the stage. I've also see people set up the L1 Compacts at the front of the stage facing back toward the performers, without the extensions.

What I run through my L1®

Electric Guitar

Hollow and Semi-Hollow Body Electrics

These guitars can sound terrific

Through the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine/T4S/T8S ToneMatch® Mixers with Presets bypassed (making this Utility Flat)
Straight into any L1 Pro System^[2] no ToneMatch® Preset required, but use one if you prefer
Straight into the L1 Compact Channel 2 set to Line Level (no ToneMatch® Preset)
Straight into the L1 Model II Power Stand analog input (no preset or other processing)
Straight into the S1 Pro System with ToneMatch Switch off (no preset or other processing)

I do this with my other large hollowbody and semi-hollowbody electrics. They all sound great straight in.

And experiment with ToneMatch Presets like:

Category: Electric Guitar
Preset: General Direct

Category: Electric Guitar
Preset: Flat w/zEQ

On the S1 Pro System try these to lighten up the low end

The Guitar Preset
The Microphone Preset

PRS JA-15

Click the picture to learn more

PRS SC-J

Single Cut Jumbo, shown here

with the Roland GK divided pickup I use with the Roland VG-99

Gibson L5-CES (Wes Montgomery)

I run this several different ways:

through the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine with Presets bypassed (making this Utility Flat)
straight into the L1 Compact Channel 2 set to Line Level (no ToneMatch® Preset)
straight into the L1 Model II Power Stand analog input (no preset or other processing)

I do the same with my other large hollowbody and semi-hollowbody electrics. They all sound great straight into the various L1®s.

Solid Body

PRS Private Stock Single Cut "Tiger Eye"

I frequently run this on T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine Preset Electric Guitars / Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 (Classic preset #35) - clean - straight in, especially when playing with an unplugged group.

T1® Preset

Category: Electric Guitars
Preset:PRS Custom 22

Otherwise I'll use the Kemper Profiling Amp

T1® Preset

Category: Electric Guitars
Flat E Guitar zEQ

Ultima / Princeton

Kickin' it old school. This is a guilty pleasure that I don't do in public. The reason? I haven't gotten around to having the 57 Princeton rewired with a ground. It can be a little dangerous on a live stage stage. Shocking!

Gibson Ultima + 57 Princeton + SM 57
T1® Preset
- Electric Guitars
- Miked Amp w/ SM 57

Odyssey 500 / 600

Artisan / Carvin

It's been a very long time since I fired up my Carvin Quad-X Amp. I used to run it through a stereo Mosvalve 500 into a Boogie 2x12 or 802s believe it or not.

Recently I ran a 77 Gibson Artisan into the Quad-X into the T1® to my Model II with 2 x B1s. Awesome.

4 channels - no waiting
5 effects loops
9 tubes
Cabinet voicing
Noise gate on first stage of preamp

Mine (yes of course I have two) are circa 1992. Discontinued around 1994. Some folks are still wondering why.

I ran this into T1® Channel 4 using the Preset
- Category: Electric Guitars
- Preset: Gibson Les Paul

The Artisan also known as the Hearts and Flowers Les Paul is heavy, 12 pounds at least. Only to be worn with a neoprene strap for sure. We get Guitars for all kinds of reasons. I have no *good* reason for having this one but there is a lot of sentimental significance to it. So it's here to stay.

Live discussion on the Message Board

Kemper Profiling Amp

The Kemper Profiling Amp is second only to the L1 as a technology that has transformed the way I play music.

I got the Kemper Profiler Stage (right) for outdoor battery-powered gigs. See Portable Power Stations for more details.

Old School

ST Mighty Rack

Before the Kemper Profiling Amp I used to say, "When I want the absolute drop dead best electric sound I can muster I use this." Now I use the Kemper. It's lighter.

For more details please see: ST Mighty Rack

Carvin Quad-X Amp

For four straight ahead channels and all tube sound I sometimes use the Carvin Quad-X Amp. Despite the name, it is a preamp - all tubes. ( 12AX7s) and it came with a gigantic foot switch.

For more details please see: Carvin Quad-X Amp

Mesa/Boogie V-Twin

For traveling light (and backup almost always) I used to carry the Mesa/Boogie V-Twin.

For more details please see: Mesa Boogie V-Twin

Virtual Guitar - Roland VG-99, VG-88 & VG-8

When I want a huge palette of sounds that extends beyond traditional guitar then I use Roland VG-99,

and occasionally the older VG-88 or VG-8.

Details

I have a Roland GK2 pickup mounted on my Gibson ES Artist (blasphemy?). I run that to the VG-88 and then to the T1® with using one of the following Presets:

Utility Flat
Prerecorded Music / Low Volume
Prerecorded Music / High Volume

If you are familiar with the GK2/3 pickups you know that you can also run the electric guitar sound direct to the VG-88. I run that to a separate T1® Channel and use one of these Presets:

Electric Guitars / Miked Amp w/SM57
Electric Guitars / Miked Amp w/e609
Electric Guitars / General Direct

I don't feel as though I have fully explored the VG-88 so the VG-99 is on the back burner for now.

In case you are wondering, I normally run mono. Stereo sounds great but for me, there is not enough benefit to warrant bringing two L1®s to run stereo.

Acoustic Guitar

Larrivée C10-bz

Cliff Henricksen suggested that I try these settings for my Larrivée C10 BZ 30th Anniversary and Morgan Concert Cutaway guitars.

ToneMatch® Preset Acoustic Guitars/Flat A Guitar zEQ

ToneMatch® Preset
- Category: Acoustic Guitars - Bypass or
- Preset: Flat, A. Guitar zEQ

Para EQ — -10dB / 500 Hz / 2.0 Oct

Para EQ
- Level -10 dB
- Freq 500 Hz
- Width 2.0 oct

It sounds so very simple - but the Guitars both sound absolutely stunning!

As a matter of interest, the Larrivée has an iMix no-cut system and the Morgan has a passive Fishman.

It should be no surprise that these settings work so well for both of these instruments. They are very similar. The body shape and size are the standard Larrivée "L" body.

They do sound different when I compare one to the other, but they both benefit from settings - retaining their individual character and sounding far more like their unamplified voices.

Prior to using the settings, Cliff recommended I did this.

Morgan with passive Fishman under saddle piezo pickup that sounds stunning with the

Classic Taylor ToneMatch® preset #90 (Dreadnought Finger-Style).
For a lighter sound I use the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine
- Category: Taylor Guitars / Preset: G Audit Finger or
- Category: Taylor Guitars / Preset: G Concert Finger

Larrivée with L.R. Baggs iMix no-cut pickup system. I just had this installed because I wanted to start playing this instrument at live gigs.

T1 ToneMatch^® Audio Engine Preset
- Category: L.R. Baggs / Preset: iMix

Microphone

Condenser Microphone

Neumann KMS 105

Category: Vocal Mics
Preset: Neumann KMS 105
Model I / Classic
- #12 KMS 105

Dynamic Microphones

Sennheiser MD 441

Category: Vocal Mics
Preset: Flat, Vocal zEQ OR
Sennheiser MD 431-II

Sennheiser MD 445

Category: Vocal Mics
Preset: Flat, Vocal zEQ OR
Sennheiser e 855 OR
Sennheiser MD 431-II

Headworn Microphone

Crown CM311a

Category: Vocal Mics
Preset: Headworn Mics
Model I / Classic
- #02 Headworn Microphones

Vocal Processor / Guitar Effects

For gigs in really tight places I have been using the TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX since mid-2012. {{#img: image=Voicelive-play-gtx_top.jpg |page=TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX to Compact| width=150px |title=TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play GTX }}. This unit was replaced by the TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3.

In January 2014 the TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3 was released and I've been experimenting with that. {{#img: image=Tch-voicelive-3-floor.jpg |page=TC-Helicon_VoiceLive_3_to_Compact| width=300px |title=TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3}}

The big appeal for me was the guitar amp emulations, looper, and adaptive tone features. I haven't used the harmony features. The small form-factor was a big part of the decision to use these.

Update: I found that I wasn't the vocal features. I got the Kemper Profiling Amp and these were so much better than the TC-Helicon guitar amp emulations, so I stopped using the latter. And finally, I had planned to use the looper as a practice tool, and for capturing song ideas. In the end it was simpler to capture the ideas directly to the computer using the T1® USB interface and some recording software. The VoiceLive 3 has left the building.

Doing Sound

Doing Sound - or "Being the Sound Guy" was never on my list of things to accomplish.

If someone were to ask me how to use the L1®s to provide sound reinforcement for live musicians I would insist that s/he watch three video presentations before doing anything else.

Then I would offer these gig reports of four of the shows where I supported several acts crossing a stage using multiple L1®s at the back of the stage.

And some notes about working with performers. Introducing Performers to the Bose System

History

First Post on the Message Board

Just in case the site gets reorganized and we lose it here is my first post on the message board.

I was there on Thursday (had the flu and very nearly didn't go).

Ended up sitting about 5 feet in front of Tony Sarno (I was in the front row). I was blown away without being blown away. If you ever get a chance to sit that close to a band running PASs you that bizarre statement will make sense.

Had a great chat with Tony and Wolf after the show.

Friday morning as soon as L&M (the store that sponsored the show) opened, I picked up my PAS. (one bass module)

Since I'm under the weather, I took the rest of the day to get to know the unit. Good times.

Get my first chance to try it out live tonight.

Many many thanks to all the people at Bose who made the investment to travel to Canada.

I was somewhat taken aback that Bose would make so large an investment (you sent what - 10 people including the band?)

Tony, if you happen to see this, I'll send you the information about the McIntyre amp later today.

Wolfe, if you happen to see this, I'm the guy with the Musicman EVH and the PRSs.

I'll post more about how I intend to use it and some questions in the other forums.

Processor Modeler Profiler

If you are using a processor/modeler/profiler between your electric guitar and a T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine

For example: Kemper Profiling Amp

{{#img: image=KemperProfilingAmpWhite800x500.jpg |page=http://www.kemper-amps.com/%7C height=200px |title=Kemper Profiling Amp }}

Try this T1® Preset

This covers anything that does speaker modelling.

Category: Electric Guitars
Preset: Flat E Guitar zEQ

Older Processors

This may help if you have some digital fizz in your sound.

Category: Electric Guitars
General Processor

Effects Pedal without Speaker Emulation

This gives you the general tone of running through a 12" speaker in a cabinet. It does not include distortion.